Man Walks Pet Tortoise on Streets of Tokyo

There are plenty of incredible sights to see on the city
streets of Tokyo, but a man walking with his pet tortoise might be the
strangest one of all. The odd pair is certainly catching our attention.

Hisao Mitani, a 62-year-old funeral parlor owner, has had
his giant African tortoise Bon-chan for almost 20 years. His wife bought the animal from a pet store. Mitani and Bon-chan recently gained attention when pictures
of their walks in downtown Tokyo surfaced and went viral.

The giant tortoise was about 110 pounds the last time Mitani
weighed him and most likely weighs even more now. He is expected to get bigger as
he gets older. Bon-chan lives in a wooden structure that Mitani designed and
enjoys a diet of fresh fruits and vegetables. Walks with Mitani are a daily
part of his life, but the tortoise has grown more stubborn as he ages.

"He's becoming a little selfish, so he tries to go on
different walk paths than the usual ones, and he tries to develop new paths, so
that's a little bothersome. He tries to go different ways," Mitani told
Reuters.

The two strolling along the streets together is a familiar
sight for locals, and Bon-chan even goes to Mitani's funeral parlor with him.

"When families who are sad come to our store, and they
see Bon-chan, they have a moment when they smile, and I think that's
nice," Mitani told Reuters.

Mitani and his wife have no children of their own, so Mitani
hopes that someone from his neighborhood will adopt Bon-chan if he outlives
them.